thekillerstranquilize.mp3

Jem Cohen’s film evokes loneliness and melancholy that make the viewer feel overwhelmed and consumed by the city’s movement and infinite activities. The people he depicted seemed to live in solitude and apart from “reality” but always keeping an intimacy with the essence of the city. Often the shots make allusions of something that is lost or missing.

Jem Cohen’s uses repetition, camera movement and juxtaposition of the same places from different angles in order to emphasize how in New York the same places have different effects on people, their personalities and the way they experience life.

The fact that the film portrays many aspect of the everyday life of new yorkers, made me think of a very old film called Berlin, Symphony of a Big City by Walter Ruttmann . This movie shows in extreme detail from early in the morning to late night, the rhythm of Berlin, daily activities, routines, and how people is affected by this.